ASHLAND, Wisconsin (Sept. 12, 2018) – Sixteen months after dredging began, crews have completed the final work to remove impacted waste wood and sediments at the Ashland Lakefront Project site. A letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this week confirmed that the project team has completed all dredging at the site consistent with the sediment, water and air quality cleanup standards that were established by the agency. 

According to data submitted to the EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the project team achieved overall results that were nearly four times better than the goal established for the project. 

“We are very pleased with the exceptional results from the dredging,” said Mark Stoering, president, Xcel Energy, Wisconsin-Michigan. “Given the unique characteristics of the area, this project required many groups to work together and develop innovative approaches to achieve success. Our employees and contractors met all the challenges they faced, and I commend them for a job well done. We appreciate the community’s support as we have addressed this phase of the project.” 

The results from the dredging phase of the project include:

  • Over 120,000 tons of sediment and 90,000 tons of waste wood and debris removed
  • More than 10,000 truckloads of material hauled off site
  • Construction of a $16 million, 900-foot breakwater, which will be donated to the city this year
  • Use of a multiple-barrier curtain system to contain the work area and protect Lake Superior
  • 24/7 real-time air monitoring utilizing web-based community reporting
  • 24/7 water quality turbidity monitoring
  • More than 3,600 air and water samples with over 11,000 analyses
  • More than 110 million gallons of water treated
  • 440,000 hours worked with an exemplary safety record

Over the next month, crews will place a final restorative sand layer throughout the entire dredged area to re-establish general habitat for bottom-dwelling organisms. They will also place rock on the bottom in certain areas to provide improved habitat for fish. The structures, tents and equipment on site, some of which are still in use, will be removed in the coming weeks, and all site demobilization work should be completed by the end of the year. Final on-land work, primarily involving grading of the Kreher Park, will occur in 2019, and a long term groundwater treatment and monitoring program will continue for several years. 

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About Xcel Energy

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